State workers rallied as the New Hampshire House voted on its version of the state budget.

CONCORD, NH (CBS) – The House of Representatives in New Hampshire voted Thursday for a budget that would cut 1500 state positions, and eliminate millions of dollars in funding for programs and services for those in need.

WBZ-TV Political Analyst Jon Keller reports on why collective bargaining may not be safe even in Massachusetts

More than one thousand firefighters, police officers, teachers, clergy members, social service workers, and families took to the street to protect the cuts, and ask the Senate for a more moderate approach.

WBZ-TV’s Karen Anderson reports from Concord

Kim Casey of East Kingston said, “There are consequences to their actions. There are situations where people could literally lose their lives.”

Republican Deputy Majority Leader Shawn Jasper said, “We’re sending the message to the res of the country the taxpayers, its time for them to get control of the budget; it can’t be up to a few.”

House Speaker William O’Brien called it a historic achievement. When asked about the protesters outside, he said, “Those are the loud voices and the voices that speak to the media, the voices that speak to me are taxpayers that I met last fall that said it’s too much we can’t do any more.”

The House budget also included an amendment that would essentially eliminate collective bargaining. There is no support for this in the Senate, among both Republicans and Democrats.

One Comment

Hey William O’Brien It has always been up to a few. A few rich white men that is. 400 Americans now own more money than all of the rest of Americans do. And they want the rest. The Unions are all that stand between them and whats left of the middle class and you and the rest of your ass kissing tea party sycophants are tripping over each other to deliver it to them

As the Republicans get neighbor to fight neighbor over piddly wages and benefits, the race to the bottom and diminishing rights continues, corporations and the wealthy laugh and light another cigar with a hundred dollar bill.

I am a tax payer and a public employee and I’m being nailed to the wall in both directions … obviously we need a solution, but explain to me how stripping me of collective bargaining rights is going to solve the budget crisis? Oh, I loose my job … now I get it. How is my measly salary going to close a multi-million dollar deficit? Oh, it will take hundreds of thousands of public service workers like me? OK, now I see. How will those hundreds of thousand workers then pay taxes? Oh, I see, you haven’t thought that far ahead yet… good plan?

“Well that’s easier said than done.” That is Mr. Kellher’s response to tax breaks for the rich and corporate tax breaks. Yeah, I guess it’s easier to weaken the middle/ working class even further, while increasing the wealth of the rich. WBZ should be embarassed.
No, this is not going to happen in MA. The voters of MA are turning out to be the only intelligent voters during the 2010 mid-terms. Although there is ample resentment of our own Gov. being re-elected, we are not entrenched in a state Gov.’t working to remove a women’s right to choose, attack the middle class, fund the rich, and turn our back on the poor. Our Gov. isn’t wasting his time with this nonsense, or trying to repeal the healthcare reform law. For a side note, without that law, the man who recently had a face transplant, would not have been able to have it without the Affodable Healthcare Act. But as far as this union busting crusade is concerned, It will not happen here, and it will contribute to an extremely painful 2012 for the GOP. The “jobs, jobs, jobs”, mantra the right ran on in 2010, has been thrown out the window. That, on top of defending extending tax cuts for the rich, should be interesting.
And since reporting on this must be easier said than done, I’ll provide a link with a differing viewpoint.

WOW yet again more politicians believing they have the answers, to ease a budget deficiet, REALLY….. how about you cut your own salaries, like why do you all need to make 3 figures a year, have all the things paid for and live the life of the rick and famous. truely you can afford to live like the tax payers, YOu know the ones that pay your yearly inflated egotistic salarys, I beleive if any state budget is to get under control they need to majorly trim the buget in the politicians houses, that way they leave those that do all the work and get a measly small salary alone. Why take away the jobs from the workers, the ones that truely pay their salary,, Unless they want a major pay cut, BUT SERIOUSLY NOW< they will still continue to recieve their inflated salaries while so many services are cut to the bare bone or totally eliminated… I feel it needs to stop now. stop voting for those that paint a gloreous picture of what they plan on not doing,. we need folks that mean what they say and do what they say, not all these fake fluffy headed morons,

Is there any state where the governor of that state is not SCR#WING the tax payers, I mean we scream about our taxes here, then we hear of another state doing just what NEW hAMPSHIRE is now doing…. what gives, WAITING now for massachusets to do the same. when are politicians going to get with the program and listen to the taxpayers,,,,,,,, stop taking from us and start listening to us

comment to assman. it is extending tax cuts to people who PAY taxes. i don’t think it is a woman’s right to kill her baby. voters in Massachusetts are mostly lemmings pulling the D lever for every office. without capitalism the doctors who performed the face transplant would never have able able to develop the technolgy to do it in the first place. as for union busting the private sector unions have an unfair advantage over open shops at securing publically funded projects but at least private sector unions are productive, create wealth and improve our standard of living while public sector unions are mostly a money pit taking away wealth from earners while providing meager returns at best. as for this state note the population shift from strong union high tax states to right to work low tax states – people vote with their feet. of course assman will say if you don’t like it leave – very constructive – how about we take responsibility and the goverment should spend money as if it were comming out of their own pocket – it’s always easy to spend someone elses money.

PEOPLE PLEASE SUPPORT THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT US AND DON’T SUPPORT THE ONE THAT TAKE AWAY FROM THE ONES THAT NEED THE HELP THE DISABLE AND SENIOR THAT ARE IN NEED. ALSO I FEEL THAT N.H. SHOULD HAVE A TAX OF 2% FOR EVERYONE THAT EARN MORE THAN
$150,000 A YEAR AND HAVE THIS GO INTO A FUND FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND SCHOOLS.

different bill, buddy, evergreen was dead in the water last month … I believe collective bargaining was attacked, er … mean attached to the bill to the retirement funding increases. (in the dead of the night I might add)
It’s been a systematic assault.